The present invention relates to the general field of balcony accessories and is particularly concerned with a balcony shielding device.
Many dwellings include balconies, patios, terraces or the like. With the relatively recent trends towards xe2x80x9ccocooningxe2x80x9d there has been a concomitant recent tendency to use such spaces more frequently for various activities, including social activities and sun bathing. During such activities, it is often desirable to provide some king of sun screening structure.
Indeed, there is a relatively recent increase awareness to the fact that over-exposure to the suns"" rays may prove to be unhealthy and detrimental.
Furthermore, the suns"" rays may become obnoxious for various activities when particularly intense.
The prior art has shown various examples of structures such as sun umbrellas designed so as to be affixed to various components of the balcony or adjacent building structure.
However, such prior art structures have proven to be unsatisfactory for various reasons. For example, prior art balcony sun umbrellas are often provided with inadequate fixing means and are thus susceptible of being blown away by the sometimes gusting winds created adjacent buildings. The sun umbrellas being blown away create a potential serious health hazards for individuals located underneath the balcony. Also, some prior art sun umbrellas have proven to be unaesthetical and offer limited adjustment characteristics.
Still further, most prior art balcony umbrellas suffer from providing limited privacy to individuals located on the balcony. This limitation has proven to be particularly annoying in urban and suburban areas particularly those having blocks of high density housing. In such settings, it is often desirable to make it difficult for ones neighbor to be able to look upon a balcony or a terrace. Various makeshift solutions have been proposed in the prior art in a attempt to solve this particular problem. For example, some balcony owners have resorted to using plants or curtains suspended from the balcony located above.
However, these solutions have proven to be unsatisfactory for various reasons including lack of adequate structure support, lack of adjustability and the like. Other prior art structures typically attached to the adjacent building or to the balcony located above have also been proposed. Most of these structures, however, require the use of an adjacent structure for purpose of solidly anchoring the shading structure.
Furthermore, the prior art structure often do not provide adequate shielding from adjacent neighbors that often can still look through the banister of the balcony.
This has proven to be particularly annoying for owners of balconies having a banister that includes a footrail and a handrail separated by balusters. Since this type of balcony is particularly popular, most prior art structure simply do not provide efficient shielding. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved balcony shielding device.
Advantages of the present invention include that the proposed balcony shielding device is specifically designed so as to be solidly anchored to the balcony banister thus eliminating the need for other adjacent support structures.
Also, the proposed balcony shielding device is provided with sturdy securement means allowing the device to be safely attached to the balcony banister reducing the risk of having the device blown away or otherwise fall from the balcony.
Still further, the proposed balcony shielding device allows for attachment to both the handrail and the footrail of conventional balcony banisters thus further increasing the safety of the anchorage components.
Also, the proposed balcony shielding device is provided with features allowing the device to be securely anchored to various types of banisters including banisters with relatively rectilinear balusters and banisters having relatively convex ornamental balusters.
Still further, the proposed balcony shielding device is specifically designed with means for providing selective and adjustable shielding of both the area located in front of the banisters and above the banisters. The balcony shielding device is provided with means for adjusting the angle and height of the shielding component located above the banister.
The proposed balcony shielding device is specifically designed so as to be manufacturable using conventional forms of manufacturing so as to provide a balcony shielding device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.
The proposed balcony device is specifically designed so as to anchorable to a conventional balcony banister through a set of ergonomical steps without requiring special tooling or manual dexterity. The proposed balcony shielding device is specifically designed so as to be able to withstand harsh environmental elements.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a device for shielding a balcony, the balcony including a balcony floor and a banister attached to the balcony floor, the banister including a handrail, a foot rail and at least one baluster extending between the handrail and the footrail, the device comprising: a first shielding section, the first shielding section including a first shielding screen;
a mounting means for mounting the device to the balcony, the mounting means including a mounting rod, the mounting rod defining a rod attachment section and a rod spacing section, the rod attachment section being sized so as to extend at least from the footrail to the handrail, the rod spacing section extending from the rod attachment section and being adapted to extend upwardly away from the handrail; a securement means for securing the rod attachment section to both the handrail and the footrail; a linking means for securely linking the first shielding section to the rod spacing section; whereby when the rod attachment section is attached to both the handrail and the footrail, the first shielding section is securely attached to the balcony above the banister.
In one embodiment of the invention, the securement means includes a securement strap, the securement strap defining a pair of opposed strap longitudinal ends; the securement strap being provided with a strap-to-rod attachment means positioned adjacent each of the strap longitudinal ends for attaching the strap longitudinal ends to the rod attachment section; the securement strap being also provided with a strap length adjustment means positioned intermediate the strap longitudinal ends for allowing customization of the length of the strap; the securement strap being configured and sized so that when the rod attachment section abuttingly contacts both the handrail and the footrail, the securement strap can be tightly wrapped around the banister with one of the strap-to-rod attachment means attached to the rod attachment section adjacent the handrail and the other strap-to-rod attachment means attached to the rod attachment section adjacent the footrail.
Preferably, at least one of the strap-to-rod attachment means includes a rod receiving aperture extending through the securement strap adjacent a corresponding strap longitudinal end, the rod receiving aperture being configured and sized so as to substantially fittingly and slidably receive at least a section of the rod attachment section.
Conveniently, the securement strap defines two strap segments, each of the strap segments having segment apertures positioned longitudinally therealong, the strap length adjustment means including a hook component selectively attached to one of the segment apertures of both the strap segments.
In another embodiment of the invention, the securement means includes a pair of balcony-to-mounting rod securement component, each of the balcony-to-mounting rod securement components including a generally elongated securement component spacing segment, the securement component spacing segment defining a spacing segment first longitudinal end and a spacing segment second longitudinal end; a segment-to-rod attachment means for attaching the securement component spacing segment adjacent the spacing segment first longitudinal end to the rod attachment section so that the securement component spacing segment extends away from the rod attachment section; a segment-to-balcony attachment means for attaching the securement component spacing segment adjacent the spacing segment second longitudinal end to the balcony so that the securement component spacing segment extends away from the balcony; whereby when one of the segment-to-balcony attachment means is attached to the handrail and the other segment-to-balcony attachment means is attached to the footrail the rod attachment section is secured to the banister in a spaced relationship relative to the latter.
Preferably, the segment-to-rod attachment means includes an attachment sleeve defining a sleeve peripheral wall, the attachment sleeve being configured and sized for substantially fittingly and slidably receiving at least a section of the rod attachment section; the attachment sleeve being provided with a bolt recess extending through the sleeve peripheral wall; the segment-to-rod attachment means also including a locking bolt threadably inserted in the bolt recess, the locking bolt defining a bolt tip for abuttingly and frictionally contacting the rod attachment section when the rod attachment section is inserted into the sleeve.
Conveniently, the segment-to-balcony attachment means includes a generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped attachment bracket attached to the securement component spacing segment adjacent the spacing segment second longitudinal end, the attachment bracket defining a bracket first segment extending in a generally parallel relationship with the securement component spacing segment and a bracket second segment extending from a distal end of the bracket first segment in a generally perpendicular relationship relative to the bracket first segment, the bracket first and second segments together defining a generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d-shaped bracket inner surface; a biasing means for biasing a segment of the banister against the bracket inner surface whereby the biasing means is adapted to be used for releasably locking a segment of either the handrail or the footrail in abutting contact against the bracket inner surface.
Preferably, the biasing means includes a bracket strap, the bracket strap defining a bracket strap first longitudinal end and a bracket strap second longitudinal end, the bracket strap first longitudinal end being attached to the securement component spacing section adjacent the spacing segment second longitudinal end, the bracket strap second longitudinal end being provided with a strap-to-bracket attachment means for attaching the bracket strap adjacent the bracket strap second longitudinal end to the bracket first segment; whereby the strap is configured and sized so as to be wrapped around both the attachment bracket and either a segment of either the handrail or the footrail abutting against the bracket inner surface for releasably locking a segment of either the handrail or the footrail in abutting contact against the bracket inner surface.
Conveniently, the linking means allows the first shield section to pivot relative to the mounting rod about a first shield section pivot axis between a first screen position wherein the first shielding screen is in a generally parallel relationship relative to the rod spacing section and a second screen position wherein the first shield screen is in an angled relationship relative to the rod spacing section.
Preferably, the linking means includes a linking plate, the linking plate having a generally elongated configuration defining a linking plate first longitudinal end and a linking plate second longitudinal end; the linking plate being pivotally attached to the rod spacing section adjacent the plate first longitudinal end; the linking means also including an angular locking means for locking the linking plate in a predetermined angular relationship relative to the rod spacing section.
Conveniently, the linking means is provided with a shield height adjustment means for allowing the customization of the distance between the first shielding section and the rod attachment section.
Preferably, the first shielding screen is mounted on a first screen frame, the first screen frame including at least one elongated frame member, the shield height adjustment means including a frame mounting sleeve, the frame mounting sleeve being attached to the rod spacing section, the frame mounting sleeve being configured and sized for slidably and substantially fittingly receiving the at least one elongated frame member, the frame mounting sleeve being provided with a frame sleeve releasable locking means for selectively allowing and preventing the at least one elongated frame member to slide within the frame mounting sleeve.
Conveniently, the linking means allows the first shield section to pivot relative to the mounting rod about a first shield section pivot axis between a first screen position wherein the first shielding screen is in a generally parallel relationship relative to the rod spacing section and a second screen position wherein the second shield screen is in an angled relationship relative to the rod spacing section, the linking means being also provided with a shield height adjustment means for allowing the customization of the distance between the first shielding section and the rod attachment section.
Preferably, the linking means includes a linking plate, the linking plate having a generally elongated configuration defining a linking plate first longitudinal end and a linking plate second longitudinal end; the linking plate being pivotally attached to the rod spacing section adjacent the plate first longitudinal end; the linking means also including an angular locking means for locking the linking plate in a predetermined angular relationship relative to the rod spacing section; the first shielding screen is mounted on a first screen frame, the first screen frame including at least one elongated frame member, the shield height adjustment means including a frame mounting sleeve, the frame mounting sleeve being attached to the linking plate adjacent the linking plate second longitudinal end, the frame mounting sleeve being configured and sized for slidably and substantially fittingly receiving the at least one elongated frame member, the frame mounting sleeve being provided with a frame sleeve releasable locking means for selectively allowing and preventing the at least one elongated frame member to slide within the frame mounting sleeve. Preferably, the rod spacing section is releasably attached to the rod mounting section.
Conveniently, the device further comprises a second shielding section, the second shielding section including a second shielding screen, the second shielding section being attached to the mounting rod so as to shield the banister.
In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided a device for shielding a balcony, the balcony including a balcony floor and a banister attached to the balcony floor, the banister including a handrail, a foot rail and at least one baluster extending between the handrail and the footrail, the device comprising: a first shielding section, the first shielding section including a first shielding screen;
a second shielding section, the second shielding section including a second shielding screen; a second section securement means for securing the second shielding section to the banister so that the second shielding screen shields the banister; a first section securement means for securing the first shielding section to the second shielding section so that when the second shielding screen shields the banister the first shielding screen is positioned above the banister.
Preferably, the second section securement means includes a securement strap, the securement strap defining a pair of opposed strap longitudinal ends; the securement strap being provided with a strap-to-rod attachment means positioned adjacent each of the strap longitudinal ends for attaching the strap longitudinal ends to the rod attachment section; the securement strap being also provided with a strap length adjustment means positioned intermediate the strap longitudinal ends for allowing customization of the length of the strap; the securement strap being configured and sized so that when the rod attachment section abuttingly contacts both the handrail and the footrail, the securement strap can be tightly wrapped around the banister with one of the strap-to-rod attachment means attached to the rod attachment section adjacent the handrail and the other strap-to-rod attachment means attached to the rod attachment section adjacent the footrail.
Conveniently, the second section securement means includes a pair of balcony-to-mounting rod securement component, each of the balcony-to-mounting rod securement components including a generally elongated securement component spacing segment, the securement component spacing segment defining a spacing segment first longitudinal end and a spacing segment second longitudinal end; a segment-to-rod attachment means for attaching the securement component spacing segment adjacent the spacing segment first longitudinal end to the rod attachment section so that the securement component spacing segment extends away from the rod attachment section; a segment-to-balcony attachment means for attaching the securement component spacing segment adjacent the spacing segment second longitudinal end to the balcony so that the securement component spacing segment extends away from the balcony; whereby when one of the segment-to-balcony attachment means is attached to the handrail and the other segment-to-balcony attachment means is attached to the footrail the rod attachment section is secured to the banister in a spaced relationship relative to the latter.
Preferably, the linking means allows the first shield section to pivot relative to the mounting rod about a first shield section pivot axis between a first screen position wherein the first shielding screen is in a generally parallel relationship relative to the rod spacing section and a second screen position wherein the second shield screen is in an angled relationship relative to the rod spacing section, the linking means being also provided with a shield height adjustment means for allowing the customization of the distance between the first shielding section and the rod attachment section.